HomePod Mini Available to Order in Finland, Norway, and Sweden

[840quadra]

But, we are talking about the HomePod MINI here.

It is what is is.

You don't like the sound for its size.. I understand that but expectation levels should be reasonable. Personally I think it sounds far better than it should at that size and especially when in a stereo pair.... more than adequate for a lot of people.

Of course the OG HomePod is far superior... AND that is the device that Apple are far more likely to replace than the mini right now.

Think about it.....

Apple release the OG HomePod.... great quality but too expensive and they didnt sell well.
They then release the mini which hits the sweet spot of affordability and *acceptable* sound quality - and very quickly discontinue the OG HomePod. HomePod mini sells far better.....
... they then allow a few years for the mini to take hold.... and people to *love* (ish) the HomeKit experience but hanker after better quality speakers... maybe they have multiple minis in the house which are fine for a bedroom or study but really want a better quality speaker for the living room.
Boom... 2023 - band new and probably still quite expensive new HomePod launches... but this time people are waiting for it... wanting it.... have an appetite for it.. and are ready to buy it.


Also... on topic here too - look at Amazons echo line.
They *used* to replace them with new models every year without fail.
Now, however, weve basically had the same Echo for 3 years without alterations - the sound is very good for the size and price point - and they simply haven't needed to update it again.
The 'dot' has seen an update but sonically it really hasn't made much of an impact.

So, are we ready for a new HomePod mini yet? not really - seems unnecessary for at least another year or so.
However.. im sure a new bigger HomePod isn't far off now.

Size comparison, HomePod mini v.s. Apple Pro desktop speaker I referenced in my post.



You seem to have fixated onto my mention of the OG Homepod, and ignored the other devices I compared the mini to. I am not asking for them to reinvent physics (match what the big homepod does), however there clearly is room for improvement in sound quality.

The homepod Mini does well, I am happy with them, I am just of the opinion that there is room for improvement, especially since they killed their higher end speaker, the original Homepod.

 

[Magnus81]

🙄 Pretty sure anyone in the Swedish speaking world that wants a HomePod mini found a way to get one in the 2 years since it was released.

Yeah, I live in Sweden and have three homepod mini and one regular homepod at home for years! It was annoying that Apple did not sell them directly, but in EU it is easy to order from other countries, and I believe trade regulations for free market within EU prohibits blocking such sales.

So I ordered mine from an online store in France, they have same power standards, outlets, etc. Worked great 👍 (but had preferred ordering directly from Apple in Sweden)

 

[Lioness~]

I bought 1 HomePod Mini. For music? not worth it! But that was not my intension anyway.
I assume you need to have the regular HomePod for better quality output.
But the Mini still sounded better than expected, and I might buy another one to a different room. For speech, meditations etc. So I don't have to use and move output for my 2 x 2 x Creative Speakers for that.
As long as I can use my Creative Speakers over AirPort Express, I have my needs met for more quality audio output.